hi - considering cycling in from Paddington to Stephen Street (basically TCR), but having difficulty finding a route. For the station to around Marble Arch there seem to be decent cycle lanes - Lancaster Gate and through Hyde Park. But then what? I walk that way every day and it just seems like a grid of roads and none seem particularly bike friendly. As a noob I’d like to keep away from busy roads as much as possible - even if that means a slightly longer route.
Paddington to Tottenham Court Road?
- Thread starter Mrklaw
- Start date
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rugby bloke
Veteran
- Location
- Northamptonshire
Have you tried the TFL Journey Planner: https://tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey
The streets below Oxford Street are a bit of warren but they are fairly quite.
The streets below Oxford Street are a bit of warren but they are fairly quite.
Thanks - tried a bunch of planners. Just seems to be a lack of proper cycle lanes which is odd considering the size of some of the pavements. You could carve a single lane segregated cycle path all the way along oxford street each side just by taking a few feet from the massive pavements
rugby bloke
Veteran
- Location
- Northamptonshire
True, but to be honest I would much rather be on the quite back streets than mixing it on Oxford Street - random shoppers wandering in front of me, taxis stopping wherever they fancy, buses etc !
vickster
Legendary Member
Go into London early on a Sunday morning and scope out the options. I’d think Paddington to TCR is simpler than Waterloo to TCR? Riding a Brompton?
Pale Rider
Legendary Member
Reasonably straight - and straightforward - route through Marylebone.
Sussex Gardens, across Edgware Road to Crawford Place/Street.
That becomes one way against you at Marylebone High Street, so you would need a left into Nottingham Place, right into Nottingham Street, right into Marylebone High Street, then first left into Weymouth Street.
Across Portland Place to Great Portland Street, where you are forced right, then first left into Clipstone Street.
It's almost straight on at the end of Clipstone into Maple Street - beside the BT Tower or whatever it's now called.
Tottenham Court Road is at the end of Maple Street - some fine tuning may be needed to land at the right spot.
The way home is parallel but south - Howland Street/New Cavendish Street/George Street is about the strength of it.
Sussex Gardens, across Edgware Road to Crawford Place/Street.
That becomes one way against you at Marylebone High Street, so you would need a left into Nottingham Place, right into Nottingham Street, right into Marylebone High Street, then first left into Weymouth Street.
Across Portland Place to Great Portland Street, where you are forced right, then first left into Clipstone Street.
It's almost straight on at the end of Clipstone into Maple Street - beside the BT Tower or whatever it's now called.
Tottenham Court Road is at the end of Maple Street - some fine tuning may be needed to land at the right spot.
The way home is parallel but south - Howland Street/New Cavendish Street/George Street is about the strength of it.
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mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
The TFL planner's route isn't too bad, although Praed Street is often a bit more in-at-the-deep-end than I like when I've just arrived in London.
As an alternative, I've used http://cycle.travel/map/journey/44920 more times than I can remember. The Bloomsbury veloducts and George Street are the backbone of it. There's no protection on George Street, but it's not that busy. Heading eastbound, the one-way bits of Marylebone High Street mess things up, so I turn left into Manchester Street and then second right, second left, second right into Weymouth Street and I suspect that joins the TfL planner's suggestion then.
If you fancy trying Waterloo to TCR, there are cycle lanes over Waterloo Bridge, then go straight on at the junction with the Strand over a short bit of pavement into back streets, second-right-second-left to Drury Lane, then I head north to the British Museum and Tavistock Place, but you could turn left onto New Oxford Street and right into the bottom of TCR.
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
Not only are there no cycle lanes, most (all?) of that is an A road with a heck of a lot of traffic including couriers avoiding the Oxford Street restriction, plus it's further south off the desire line than either George Street or Crawford Street. I'd say it's debatable whether that is better or worse than just blitzing along Marylebone Road and Euston Road, which is much busier but tends to have fewer drivers performing unsignalled/late/bonkers turns in my limited experience.
